Justine Greening, the Education Secretary, has also pledged to oppose any decision to expand Heathrow, and is expected to campaign robustly against a third runway.

Britain is running out of airport capacity in the south of England. There are fears that without a new runway serving London, airlines and businesses will go to other countries in Europe in the decades ahead.

The decision on whether to build a new runway at Heathrow or Gatwick, expected in October, comes after more than 15 years of delays by both Labour and Conservative governments.